akashic
1876–2024
Chesapeake, Virginia
Chesapeake city·Virginia

Chesapeake city votes the way the country votes.

A former GOP stronghold now splitting tickets in statewide races

18762024·38 elections
Chesapeake, Virginia · US Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified · Wikimedia Commons
Latest
D+4
in 2024
Archetype
Bellwether
since the recent cycles
Population
252,583
2024 ACS
Most similar
Virginia Beach city
VA · similarity 0.96
64 precincts · 128,001 votes cast
Harris · D+4
Margin
Turnout
Harris +50
Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
2024D
+3.8%
65,39960,550128,001
2020D
+6.4%
66,37758,180127,108
2016R
−1.3%
52,62754,047112,662
2012D
+1.0%
55,05253,900110,425
2008D
+1.3%
53,99452,625107,521
2004R
−14.8%
38,74452,28391,541
2000R
−8.2%
33,57839,68474,585
1996R
−0.9%
28,71329,25162,686
1992R
−8.8%
23,49528,90961,868
1988R
−22.3%
18,82829,73848,855
1984R
−24.2%
16,74027,54244,684
1980R
−2.0%
17,15517,88836,904
1976D
+14.9%
17,65112,85132,157
1972R
−43.8%
3739901,409
1968D
+2.5%
6,8436,23424,760
1964D
+20.1%
6914591,153
1960D
+23.1%
2,1551,3413,521
1956D
+9.7%
1,8711,5213,609
1952D
+23.6%
1,7821,0982,897
1948D
+39.8%
8573471,283
1944D
+58.5%
9242411,168
1940D
+71.0%
9201561,076
1936D
+65.0%
8231721,002
1932D
+28.4%
597329945
1928R
−69.1%
1588651,023
1924D
+47.5%
1,2814231,808
1920D
+37.8%
1,8248132,672
1916D
+39.7%
1,6126842,337
1912D
+38.2%
1,0894221,744
1908D
+8.7%
8797391,618
1904D
+15.8%
1,3459772,334
1900R
−11.2%
2,4153,0245,444
1896R
−23.6%
2,1373,4755,674
1892D
+2.6%
2,5872,4525,136
1888
No data
1884
No data
1880
No data
1876
No data
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
100.0%
Polish
0.9%
African American
23.3%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
0.0%
speak English only
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Other Christian
16.6%
Baptist
10.5%
Catholic & Orthodox
9.2%
Methodist
5.4%
Mainline Protestant
1.6%
Pentecostal & Holiness
1.1%
Non-Christian
0.3%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 55.3% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Chesapeake shifted from reliably Republican margins to a narrow Democratic lean in 2024, reflecting the broader realignment of Hampton Roads suburbs as military families and college-educated voters remake its electorate.

The Democratic margin in Chesapeake city has rarely exceeded seventy-one points in modern history; the Republican margin has rarely exceeded sixty-nine points. 2024 delivered the county to the Democratic candidate by four points.

Chesapeake city's demographics resemble the country more than they resemble most counties. A 55% non-Hispanic-white share, a 9% poverty rate, and a median household income of $95,373 — all within the broad national range. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Virginia Beach city and Oktibbeha County.